Bethia Wyborn

Multimedia reporter.

NCTJ accredited with bylines in DIVA, Pick me up! and Chat magazine.

Winner of the Gavin Reeve-Daniels Memorial Prize in Magazine Journalism.

Okehampton Times •

Battle for community banking hub in Okehampton

Shirley Smith, who works at the British Heart Foundation shop in Okehampton, said: “I bank at Lloyds and I do not use a computer so I feel I am being forced to bank online which I do not want to do. I would rather use a bank face-to-face so I’m worried where the closure of Lloyd’s bank will leave me.”Lydia Ward, Okehampton resident, said: “I bank at Lloyds and I am aware that there is a very large population of elderly people that struggle with online banking. The staff at the bank are wonderful...
Okehampton Times •

Murdered university lecturer awarded posthumous PhD

A spokesperson for the University of Plymouth, said: “Claire’s PhD was centred around supporting and developing resilience in student nurses, something she was incredibly passionate about, and the award is deserved recognition for everything she achieved. The work Claire undertook towards her PhD will be an enduring part of her legacy, and the award is one of the many ways in which we continue to remember her.”

A spokesperson for the University of Plymouth, said: “Claire’s PhD was centred aroun...
Okehampton Times •

Help bring Okehampton vet nurse home

Katie regularly has seizures which do not require medical attention as they pass on their own but despite Katie’s grandmother explaining this to medical staff, Katie was airlifted to Hospital General Universitario de Elche for treatment.The family have been living a “nightmare” ever since as they claim the Spanish doctors have refused to listen to Katie’s home doctor who is desperately trying to give them Katie’s medical history and treatment plan. “She seizes once a week, if not more, so every...
Tavistock Times Gazette •

Tavistock man who preyed on vulnerable women jailed for 30 years

Speaking after the trial DC Craig Ferguson, who investigated the case, said: “Peter Wilkinson is a dangerous and predatory sexual offender. The offences in this case were harrowing with vulnerable people being targeted and abused in their homes where they should have been able to feel safe and secure.“This has been a lengthy, complex, and difficult investigation. I know that the outcome of this case will not have diminished the impact that Peter Wilkinson has had upon the victims and their lives...
Tavistock Times Gazette •

‘Shocking’ rise in sex crimes at Devon and Cornwall train stations

A survey of 2,000 people commissioned by the British Transport Police (BTP) last year found that over a third of women had been a victim of sexual harassment or sexual offending on their commute.Despite this, a large number of women do not report their experiences, as many people feel scared or believe that their experience won’t be taken seriously.BTP Detective Chief Inspector Nia Mellor said: "We are working tirelessly to stamp out this unacceptable behaviour. We have patrols of uniformed and...
Okehampton Times •

Controversial porn star 'Bonnie Blue' sponsors local football team

A local football club have announced their new controversial sponsor, an Only Fans model who had sex with over 1,000 men in one day.Bonnie Blue is the new sponsor for Calstock FC after one of the players revealed to the group that Bonnie was his cousin.The football club that dub themselves ‘a drinking team with a football problem’, took advantage of the celebrity connection and asked Bonnie to be their new away kit sponsor.Tia Emma Billinger, known professionally as Bonnie Blue, is an English po...
Tavistock Times Gazette •

'It's not good enough': South West Water declines meeting with river action group

The group, Drip Drip, was formed last summer and is based in Calstock. Its members monitor the levels of E.Coli and Enterococcus bacteria which indicate sewage, by taking samples of water from the Tamar.Ken Finn, from Drip Drip, said: “We’ve asked for a face-to-face meeting with South West Water to help us understand when they will implement their ambitions to be less reliant on the use of combined sewage outlets (CSOs), but so far, they have declined to meet us. It’s not good enough.” After t...
Tavistock Times Gazette •

Okehampton herbalist to survive on foraged food for three months

The Wildbiome 2 Project is a citizen science experiment backed by the Universities of Bradford and Rzeszów that will see over 100 foragers across the country eat solely wild food for either one month or three months starting on April 1 2025.Jenny, owner of Dartmoor Apothecary, said: “As a herbalist I find it easier to recognise edible wild foods but it still takes a lot of preparation. I’ve been collecting herbs for almost a year for the project such as foraging nuts, processing them and drying...
Okehampton Times •

Hamlet have their mail shut off due to 'dangerous' potholes

The eight residents of Essworthy were told to make the 14 mile trip to Okehampton to queue for their Royal Mail deliveries despite other couriers, delivery vans and oil tankers making the trip down the lane to the houses.She said: “By the time we knew that the mail wasn’t going to be delivered to our addresses some of the letters were 17 days old. They said we could have a mailbox at the end of our lane but that wasn’t suitable because it’s half a mile from our house and it wouldn’t be secure.”V...
Okehampton Times •

Prehistoric stone circle discovery on Dartmoor

Alan said: “Dartmoor has 18 stone circles so to add two more is quite significant. We’re hoping to get a lot more information from the dig to discover how they were built and how they developed over time.“The stone circles are something I’ve always been passionate about, I grew up by the edge of the moor where there's a whole settlement of circles, so from an early age I was fascinated by them and always wanted to find out more.”Alan continued: “The excavations have exceeded my expectations, and...
Okehampton Times •

Investigation into alleged fox hunting near Okehampton dropped

STOPPING HOUNDS IN THEIR TRACKS Sabs are the last line of defence between the hunt and the fox. This short video, filmed by sabs at a recent Eggesford Hunt meet at Ellmead Farm (near Okehampton), shows exactly what that looks like. 🧵 (1/4) pic.twitter.com/KQw9AXKkBz— Devon County Hunt Sabs (@devoncountysabs) November 4, 2024 A spokesperson for Devon County Hunt Saboteurs said: “There is no doubt that this was an illegal fox hunt. The video in question shows an incident from October 12 2024, wher...
Okehampton Times •

Dartmoor hiker calls for change

A Dartmoor hiker has had enough of others littering the moors, so is advocating for more signs and education for visitors.In a video posted on Facebook by Adam Bazeley, the activist calls out a group of men for leaving their rubbish left behind at at the beauty sport of Cadover Bridge.Adam Bazeley, a shop fitter and designer, said: “I go to the moors every week and see more and more people littering and fly-tipping. I genuinely think they don’t care about the landscape and wildlife.“I’ve seen po...
Okehampton Times •

Men’s mental health charity starting new group in Okehampton

Steve Doyle, 38, from Plymouth became involved with Andy’s Man Club after attending a session in 2022 to open up and talk about his own mental health struggles.  Now as the area lead for the South West of England, Mr Doyle is a part of the movement to help men through conversation. He said: “Countless men have come along and found that just having the space to talk to other men who have been through similar situations made them feel less alone and see that it's possible to get better.“Groups lik...
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels
The Zoom •

Over 15,000 sign petition against ‘hellhole’ Sheffield pig farm expansion

A farm on the outskirts of Sheffield has put in an application to increase its size by 200%, according to PETA.

Over 15,000 people have signed a petition urging Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council to reject the application.

PETA claim there would be nearly 1,800 pigs “condemned to death” a year on the farm after the expansion.

Kate Werner, PETA Senior Campaigns Manager said: “From the increase in odours and potential environmental harm to the knowledge that thousands of sensitive pigs would

Rotherham Council respond to tweet slamming their care of family | The Zoom

Sammy Woodhouse took to social media to slam Rotherham council in a post with almost 8,000 views.

She said in a tweet: “Absolutely disgusting that Rotherham Council has left a women and her small children without heating for three days and could have to wait until Wednesday to get her boiler fixed. It’s absolutely freezing temperatures. It’s just not good enough!”

In a reply to a comment under the tweet Ms Woodhouse claims that the woman is being listed as a priority but her boiler still isn’t
The Zoom •

Family ripped from their home by Catcliffe floods lose hope of first family Christmas

A family who was evacuated from their house in Catcliffe due to flooding will be out of their home for their baby’s first Christmas.

Despite the house being unlivable, the family still have to pay bills for their flooded house and the property they’re renting at the moment.

Szymon Olzycki, father of the 7-month-old baby, said: “At the moment we’re just trying to live normally, we definitely want to go back there but it’s not going to be until April until we can move back in.

“You never know i
The Zoom •

Wheelchair-bound to personal trainer: How a Sheffield man beat chronic fatigue syndrome after his fathers passing

A personal trainer from Sheffield shares his battle with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Luke Firth, 30, from Chapeltown, was 13 when he developed the condition that causes severe tiredness.

Mr Frith said: “I was training for a Sunday league football game when suddenly I started throwing up and feeling extremely tired. I couldn’t run around the football pitch like I used to, which was really scary.”

“After that my tiredness only got worse, school was a ten minute walk from where I lived but I would
The Zoom •

Storm Babet causes ‘very severe’ disruptions in Sheffield and Rotherham

Over 20 flood warnings cover Sheffield and Rotherham as Storm Babet hits the area.

Schools such as The Sheffield College have stopped teaching due to flood risk on the roads and adjacent areas.

The services not running in Rotherham are:

The services not running in Sheffield are:

The rain is expected to continue until around 10am tomorrow but it should start to ease from midnight.

Sheffield City Council urge people to avoid driving through flood water as a few inches can flood an engine, and
The Zoom •

Devastation after ice hockey player dies in ‘freak accident’ after match in Sheffield

Nottingham Panthers forward, Adam Johnson, has died following a game at the Sheffield Utilita arena after a serious neck injury.

Over 8,000 people in the stadium witnessed Mr Johnson, 29, receive emergency treatment on the ice.

Players on both teams formed a ring around the injured player before he was escorted off by paramedics on a stretcher.

He was later taken to Sheffield Northern General Hospital, his death was announced the next day.

In a statement the club said: “The Panthers would li
The Zoom •

Family speaks out after being evacuated with 7-month-old baby due to devastating Catcliffe floods

A 7-month-old baby is among the hundreds of people evacuated due to flooding in Catcliffe, Rotherham.

Szymon Olzycki and his family woke up at six o’clock Saturday morning to water creeping up their drive.

Three hours later, their living room was flooded with over one metre of water.

The family-of-three are currently staying at a friend’s house to look after the baby.

Mr. Olzycki said: “The baby’s alright, they don’t understand the trauma happening around them yet.”

“It was terrible to go d
Liberty Belle •

The “Winter Blues”: Living with Seasonal Depression

When you think of winter, you may imagine giving gifts, a warm brew on a cold

morning, and watching a wholesome film with your friends and family. But for

around 2 million people in the UK, this is not always an enjoyable time of year.

Seasonal affective disorder or SAD is a type of depression that is experienced during

certain times of the year. It is commonly referred to as the ‘winter blues’ or the

‘winter depression’ because usually the symptoms are more apparent during the

colder mont
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